Home-built yacht launched after decades of work
An organic farmer from Oxfordshire has realised a boyhood dream with the
launch of his home-built yacht made from trees that fell in the ‘great storm’
of October 1987.
The 11m (36ft) Naida is built of locally-sourced oak, cedar and pine and
modelled on the lines of a 19th-century New England fishing boat.
It took Iain Tolhurst (58) around 22,000 hours and £60,000 to build the
beautifully-crafted Naida, and although he never doubted his ability to create
her, it did take him longer than he expected.
‘I underestimated the scale of the job,’ he said ‘I thought it would
take me only four or five years, not decades.’
The full story appeared in the weekend’s Observer Magazine. For more details and photos of the remarkable build visit www.guardian.co.uk